Stories from Monday, August 20, 2018

The Jackson Board of Aldermen will hold two public hearings at Monday’s regular meeting. On the agenda: one hearing to consider a special-use permit request for a doggy day care at 608 Rosamund St., and the second to consider proposed 2018 property-tax rates...

Old Town Cape Inc. is hosting the 31st annual Charles L. Hutson Auction at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 8 at Isle Casino Cape Girardeau to benefit the continued funding of Old Town Cape, according to an announcement Friday. The annual auction serves as the major and only fundraiser for the organization for the year, Old Town Cape event coordinator Emily Vines said Saturday while assisting patrons at the Cape Riverfront Market in downtown Cape Girardeau...

Saturday was the finale of Cape Jaycee’s annual two-day BBQ Fest at Arena Park in Cape Girardeau to benefit a local charitable foundation, Toybox. The event featured 44 teams of competitive barbecue cookers from around the nation vying for multiple monetary prizes totaling more than $10,000 awarded throughout the afternoon...

Today is Monday, Aug. 20, the 232nd day of 2018. There are 133 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On August 20, 1953, the Soviet Union publicly acknowledged it had tested a hydrogen bomb. On this date: In 1866, President Andrew Johnson formally declared the Civil War over, months after fighting had stopped...

There are many things that divide us in this country. I believe the top three are abortion, guns, and immigration. Abortion is probably the most emotional of our differences. I’ve never met anyone who is comfortable with abortions, but how do we deal with unwanted pregnancies? In an ideal world there would be no unwanted pregnancies, but in our world they will continue to occur, and we will continue to be divided on what to do about them...

In the Aug. 7 election, Missourians, by a two-thirds majority, voted down Prop A. Since then, I have heard rumor that some state legislators are considering enacting such legislation anyway. Such action would be in direct opposition to the vote of the people...

Our region has said goodbye to three key figures recently: Sheriff John Jordan, Cape Girardeau library director Betty Martin and Cape Girardeau public works director Steve Cook. All three served the public well and move off to greener pastures. Martin and Cook are retiring, and Jordan moves to a bigger position with the U.S. Marshals Service. ...

BERLIN — The German government said it has made no preparations for the possibility aliens might land in the country. In a response to questions from opposition Green Party lawmaker Dieter Janecek, the government said “there are no protocols or plans for a possible first contact with alien life.” Justifying that stance, the government added it believes “a first contact on German territory is extremely unlikely, based on today’s scientific knowledge.” ...

WASHINGTON -- Former CIA director John Brennan said Sunday he is considering taking legal action to try to prevent President Donald Trump from stripping other current and former officials' security clearances. Speaking on NBC's "Meet the Press," Brennan said he's been contacted by several lawyers about the possibility of an injunction in the wake of Trump's move to revoke his clearance and threaten nine others who have been critical of the president or are connected to the Russia probe...

For decades, Michael Drweiga has opened his wallet whenever the donation basket comes around at church, but the latest revelations of priests sexually abusing children brought him to the conclusion he can no longer justify giving. Brice Sokolowski helps small Catholic not-for-profits and churches raise money, but he too supports the recent calls to withhold donations...

MECCA, Saudi Arabia -- More than 2 million Muslims began the annual hajj pilgrimage at first light Sunday in Saudi Arabia, circling the cube-shaped Kaaba in Mecca that Islam's faithful face five times each day during their prayers. The five-day hajj pilgrimage represents one of the world's biggest gatherings every year, and is required of all able-bodied Muslims once in their life...

BRIDGEWATER, N.J. -- President Donald Trump insisted Sunday his White House counsel isn't a "RAT" like the Watergate-era White House attorney who turned on Richard Nixon, and he blasted the ongoing Russia investigation as "McCarthyism." Trump, in a series of tweets, denounced a New York Times story his White House counsel, Don McGahn, has been cooperating extensively with the special counsel team investigating Russian election meddling and potential collusion with Trump's Republican campaign...

Highway 51 at McBride, Missouri, still looks like a lake, and the Chester, Illinois, bridge across the Mississippi River remains closed to traffic; the bridge may be high and dry, but motorists can't get there from the Missouri side; the McBride area is still under water, the result of a July 25 levee break...

Nina M. Sommers, 94, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, Aug. 17, 2018, at The Arbors at Cape Girardeau. Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home in Cape Girardeau. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the funeral home, with the Rev. Barry Winders officiating. Burial will be private at Lorimier Cemetery in Cape Girardeau.

Mark Alan Siegel, 56, of Old Appleton died Friday, Aug. 17, 2018, at his home. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson. A memorial service will be at 7 p.m. Friday at the funeral home, with the Rev. Dan Chaney officiating, followed by military honors.

Sally Pierce, 75, of Jackson passed away Saturday, Aug. 18, 2018, at her home. She was born Feb. 1, 1943, the daughter of Joe and Helen Squibb Galbraith. She and Walter M. "Walt" Pierce were married June 7, 1974. He preceded her in death Jan. 21, 2015...

Glema Myrl Milligan, 97, of Scott City died Friday, Aug. 17, 2018, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born Dec. 9, 1920, in Fornfelt to Lester Henry and Ollie Myrtle Pinkston Wills. She married Lee Otis Milligan on Nov. 26, 1936, in Fornfelt. He preceded her in death June 17, 1988...

The Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to the following calls: Friday n Medical assists were made at 9:25 a.m. on Hopper Road, 11:14 a.m. on Etherton Drive, 11:43 a.m. on William Street, 11:51 a.m. on South Sprigg Street, 1:25 p.m. on South Mount Auburn Road, 5:47 p.m. on North Spanish Street and 7:29 p.m. on Jefferson Avenue...

The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWIs n Christopher L. Hyten, 33, of Poplar Bluff, Missouri, was issued a summons for driving while intoxicated at North Mount Auburn and Kage roads...

Disposables have become a mainstay of many American kitchens -- plastic baggies, plastic wrap, paper towels, aluminum foil, plastic straws and more. Reducing or even eliminating them can save you money in addition to cutting down on trash that ends up in landfills...

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- At a time when big-box retailers are trying to offer the same conveniences as their online competitors, the biggest U.S. grocery chain is testing the use of driverless cars to deliver groceries in a Phoenix suburb. Kroger's pilot program launched Thursday morning with a robotic vehicle parked outside one of its own Fry's supermarkets in Scottsdale. ...

NORTH KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A Kansas City-area school district that garnered national attention when a transgender student was crowned homecoming queen in 2015 has installed gender-neutral restrooms at two new elementary schools and in some existing locations...

ST. LOUIS -- Funding cuts to in-home care for the disabled could force some Missouri residents into nursing homes, advocates said. About $8 million of the $50 million the state Legislature initially cut last year has been restored, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported...

Approval of minutes n Minutes of Aug. 16 meetings Communications/reports -- other elected officials n None at this time Public comments n Items listed on the agenda Routine business...

Approval of minutes n Minutes of regular meeting of 8/6/18 Financial affairs n City collector's report n City clerk's and treasurer's reports Public hearings n Hearing to consider a special-use permit request for a doggy day care in a C-2 (general commercial) District at 608 Rosamund St., as requested by the Stephen W. and Diann M. Dow Trust...

Study session n No action will be taken during the study session Presentations n Arts Council Children's Artwork -- Sara Steffens n Proclamation recognizing anniversary of Prince Hall Masons of Harmony Lodge No. 40...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Following the recent announcement of Saint Francis Healthcare System's acquisition of Ferguson Medical Group, the No. 1 concern for many of the Sikeston-based group's patients is whether their insurance will be accepted when the changeover is complete...

ST. LOUIS -- Parts of Missouri are so dry corn crops are suffering and hay for cattle is in short supply, with water becoming increasingly scarce, experts say. Missouri has had below-average rainfall since winter. The U.S. Drought Monitor map shows nearly all of Missouri is experiencing drought, with several counties in the northwestern part of the state facing "exceptional" conditions -- the most dire classification assigned by the monitor. ...

O Father God, we worship you, for you are the alpha and the omega. Amen.

Last month, President Trump nominated Judge Brett Kavanaugh to be the next U.S. Supreme Court justice. Judge Kavanaugh is an exceptionally qualified jurist, but when Sen. Claire McCaskill was asked where she stands on this nominee, she had absolutely nothing to say. ...

ACCRA, Ghana -- Kofi Annan, a charismatic global diplomat and the first black African to become United Nations secretary-general who led the world body through one of its most turbulent periods, died early Saturday at age 80. Tributes flowed in from around the world after his foundation announced his death in the Swiss capital, Bern, after a short and unspecified illness. The statement remembered the Nobel Peace Prize winner as "radiating genuine kindness, warmth and brilliance in all he did."...

Intellectual properties such as Myers-Briggs (MBTI) or DiSC will confirm personality type, but, said Matt Henson, that's about as far as it goes with them. That's why Henson, president of M.W. Henson and Associates of Cape Girardeau, teaches Social Style by TRACOM, a program that first observes behavior, then divides personality types into four categories: people who are driving, expressive, amiable or analytical...

Finding common ground on community core values and confronting and solving difficult issues is what the Cape Chamber team is all about. From businesses to schools, churches to parents, charities to civic organizations, what do we hear frequently about job applicants? The soft stuff is the hard stuff. Regardless of industry, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find employees with adequate soft skills — which in reality, are the essential skills for both work and life...

United Way of Southeast Missouri invites community members to join their fight for health, education, and financial stability for everyone by attending their 2018 campaign Kickoff. The informative luncheon will be held August 23rd from 11:00 am – 1:00 pm. at Ray’s Banquet Center in Cape Girardeau...